# Casey Wilson
**Casey Wilson** (Cathryn [Rose Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/rose-wilson); born 1980) is an American actress, comedian, and writer known for two seasons as a cast member on *Saturday Night Live*, for playing Penny Hartz on the ABC sitcom *Happy Endings*, and for co-writing the comedy films *[Bride Wars](https://www.edgepedia.org/bride-wars)* (2009) and *Ass Backwards* (2013).[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/11865/casey-wilson) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Cathryn Rose Wilson, 1980, Alexandria, Virginia[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/11865/casey-wilson) |
| *Saturday Night Live* | Cast member for seasons 34 and 35, 2008 to 2009[3](https://www.snlrankings.com/casey-wilson/) |
| Signature role | Penny Hartz on *Happy Endings* (ABC, 2011–13)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/) |
| Writing credits | *Bride Wars* (2009) and *Ass Backwards* (2013), co-written with June Diane Raphael[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/) |
| Directing | *Daddio* (2019 short), winner of the Atlanta Film Festival Audience Award for Best Narrative Short, 2020[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1988111/awards) |
| Book | Essay collection *The Wreckage of My Presence*, published May 4, 2021[5](https://www.avclub.com/casey-wilson-on-her-new-book-her-favorite-happy-ending-1846924430) |
| Marriage | Married *Happy Endings* co-creator David Caspe on May 25, 2014[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/) |
## Early life and training
Wilson was born in [Alexandria, Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexandria-virginia), to [Paul Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-wilson), a consultant on Republican political campaigns, and Kathleen Anne Higdon, who chaired the National Women's Political Caucus during the 1980s before moving into early childhood education.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/) After graduating from T. C. Williams [High School](https://www.edgepedia.org/high-school) in 1998, she studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting at New York University, where she met June Diane Raphael, who became her writing and performing partner, and graduated in 2002.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/)
Her mother died of a sudden heart attack at age 54 in 2005. In her memory, Wilson, her father, and her brother founded the Kathy Wilson Foundation, which supports preschool children with special needs.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/)
## Upright Citizens Brigade and early work
Wilson began her comedy career at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, first in New York and later in Los Angeles.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/) With Raphael she created the long-running sketch show *Rode Hard and Put Away Wet*, an official selection at HBO's 2005 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, a Time Out New York critic's pick, and winner of the Emerging Comics of New York Award for Best Comedy Duo.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/) The pair's live work led directly into screenwriting: at the Aspen festival a New Regency executive asked them to pitch on the script that became *Bride Wars*, though neither had written anything longer than a sketch before.[6](https://www.fastcompany.com/3061020/june-diane-raphael-on-what-nobody-tells-women-in-comedy-about-writing-and-actin)
Her feature debut was a bit role as an acting student in [Christopher Guest](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-guest)'s mockumentary *For Your Consideration* (2006), followed by small parts in *The Brothers Solomon* (2007) and *The Great Buck Howard* (2008).[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/)
## Saturday Night Live
Wilson joined *Saturday Night Live* in early 2008, hired to replace the departing [Maya Rudolph](https://www.edgepedia.org/maya-rudolph), and was named one of Variety's "Ten Comics to Watch in 2008."[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/) She was known for broad characters and impressions, including [Rachael Ray](https://www.edgepedia.org/rachael-ray), Elizabeth Taylor, and a recurring spot hosting "The Cougar Den," and created the original character Dusty Velvet, a paralyzed stripper.[3](https://www.snlrankings.com/casey-wilson/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/) By her own account the show was not the best fit for her talents, and she was let go after her second season.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/) In a 2021 interview she described the experience as "exhilarating and really painful," and said she later came to look back on it with gratitude.[5](https://www.avclub.com/casey-wilson-on-her-new-book-her-favorite-happy-ending-1846924430)
## Happy Endings and sitcom lead roles
**Penny Hartz.** Wilson's breakout role came as Penny, the chronically single member of the friend group on *Happy Endings*, a mid-season replacement on ABC that ran from 2011 to 2013 alongside [Elisha Cuthbert](https://www.edgepedia.org/elisha-cuthbert), Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Damon Wayans, Jr., and [Eliza Coupe](https://www.edgepedia.org/eliza-coupe).[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/) After a rocky critical start, the series found its rhythm, and Wilson received much of the praise for her portrayal of the desperate but optimistic Penny.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/) She earned Critics' Choice Television Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in both 2012 and 2013, and a Teen Choice Award nomination in 2012.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1988111/awards) The show was canceled after three seasons despite a devoted cult following, and later found a wider audience on streaming.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/) • [5](https://www.avclub.com/casey-wilson-on-her-new-book-her-favorite-happy-ending-1846924430)
In 2014 she returned to network comedy as the star of *[Marry Me](https://www.edgepedia.org/marry-me-american-tv-series)*, an NBC sitcom created by David Caspe, whom she had married that May; she played a woman whose engagement to her longtime boyfriend ([Ken Marino](https://www.edgepedia.org/ken-marino)) meets repeated obstacles.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/)
## Writing and directing
*Bride Wars*, released in January 2009, was Wilson and Raphael's screenwriting debut; it drew predominantly negative reviews but was a moderate commercial success, and Wilson also appeared in it as Stacy.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/casey_wilson) The pair also contributed to *Worst Laid Plans*, a humor anthology based on their [Upright Citizens Brigade](https://www.edgepedia.org/upright-citizens-brigade) stage show, and reunited on screen for *Ass Backwards* (2013), which they co-wrote and in which Wilson played Chloe.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/)
Wilson directed the 2019 short film *Daddio*, which won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Short at the Atlanta Film Festival in 2020 and was nominated for a Gold Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival, a Short Cuts Award at Toronto, and the SXSW Grand Jury Award for Narrative Short.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1988111/awards)
Her essay collection *The Wreckage of My Presence* was published on May 4, 2021, covering subjects from her preference for lying down to her son's battle with celiac disease.[5](https://www.avclub.com/casey-wilson-on-her-new-book-her-favorite-happy-ending-1846924430)
## Screen record and podcasting
Rotten Tomatoes lists *Gone Girl* (2014), in which Wilson played Noelle Hawthorne, as her highest-rated film at 88%, and *Bride Wars* and *Killers* (2010) at the low end at 10% each; recent credits include *Long Weekend* (2021), *Family Squares* (2022), and *Adult Best Friends* (2024).[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/casey_wilson) On television she has been a frequent guest, with roles including Brooke in *One Mississippi*, Tawny St. John in *The Hotwives of Orlando*, Tiffany Georgina in *Black Monday*, and Bonnie in *The Shrink Next Door*.[8](https://www.metacritic.com/person/casey-wilson-2/)
Since 2013 she has co-hosted the podcast *Bitch Sesh* with actress Danielle Schneider, discussing the *Real Housewives* franchise, and she was nominated for a 2023 Ambie Award for Best Podcast Host for *Fed Up*.[5](https://www.avclub.com/casey-wilson-on-her-new-book-her-favorite-happy-ending-1846924430) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1988111/awards)
## References
1. [Casey Wilson, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/11865/casey-wilson)
2. [Casey Wilson – Actress, Comedian, Writer, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/casey-wilson/)
3. [Casey Wilson, SNL Rankings](https://www.snlrankings.com/casey-wilson/)
4. [Casey Wilson – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1988111/awards)
5. [Casey Wilson on her new book, her favorite Happy Endings moments, and what she learned from SNL, The A.V. Club](https://www.avclub.com/casey-wilson-on-her-new-book-her-favorite-happy-ending-1846924430)
6. [June Diane Raphael on What Nobody Tells Women in Comedy About Writing and Acting, Fast Company](https://www.fastcompany.com/3061020/june-diane-raphael-on-what-nobody-tells-women-in-comedy-about-writing-and-actin)
7. [Casey Wilson Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/casey_wilson)
8. [Casey Wilson, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/casey-wilson-2/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Wh to W*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license